Shoe upper and method of manufacture



y 3 w. F. PACKARD 1,815,446

sHOE UPPER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed May 19) 1930 permanently tooJuly 21;1931

PAENT oFFlcE WALTER F. PACKARD, OF MABLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGIlOR'10 EXCEL TAPING MACEHTE 00., 0F LYNN, MASMCHUSE'JZTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS anon urrnn Ann mn'rnon or mannracrunn Application filedMay 19, 1930. Serial No. @53508.

This invention relates to improvements in shoe manufacture and moreparticularly to an improved method of making and reinforcmg shoe uppersand particularly the throat portions of shoe Vamps, and to reinforceduppers of the type made in accordance with this improved method. I

Heretofore the throat portions of shoe ramps have often tended to splitdue to the strains cast thereon during the lasting opera lion andoccasionally theseportions have split during subsequent use. inaccordance with the present invention, a reinforcing strip is applied tothe throat portion of the vamp efi'ectively to receive themajor portionof the strains cast thereon due to stretching, as for example in thelasting-operation or due to subsequent strains in use. This reinforcingstrip is preferably arranged so that it tends no to impart a curvatureto the vamp before it is lasted; accordingly the upper may readilyconform to the curvature of the last, thereby facilitating the lasting 0eration and aiding in the proper shaping o the shoe and in itsmaintenance of such a shape. The reinforcing strip may be appliedtransversely of the throat portion, extendin from one side to the otherthereof, and being so disposed that it may engage the stitches securingthe vamp to the top portions of a blutcher shoe or a foal shoe, thusaiding in reinforcing the shoe during the lasting operation 7 andthroughout its life. Preferably the strip may be secured in adhesiveengagement with the throat of the vamp by means of a cementitiouscoating that has previously been ap plied to the strip, for example asection of abri or tape that has been coated with a or coldprocess.adhesive, or which is provlded with an adhesive that may berendered tacky under heat may be employed forthis purpose; in any case,the cement is preferably of a. type that is strongly adherent.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing strip isapplied under tension to the vamp, thus tending to impart a. curvatureto the vamp even before it is lasted. Due to the relatively tensionedapplication of the reinforcing strip, the latter 1s adapted to receiveand oppose the major portion of the stretchihg strains which may beimposed upon the throat of the vamp and which have previously been borneby the vamp itself, as for example during lasting. Accordingly, theuppers which are reinforced in this manher are strongly reinforcedagainst splitting.

One advantageous method of applying the reinforcing strip to the vampthroat comprises the employment of a machine or apparatus provided withtwo driven rollers between which the vamp and adhesive strip are fedinto mutually adhesive engagement with each other, the rollvthat engagesand feeds the vamp being driven at a sli htlyhigher peripheral speedthan the roll w ich engages the strip so that the latter is appliedunder tension to the leather of the upper or the like. For example,convenient apparatus for performing this operation is a machine of thecharacter disclosed in the copending a plication of Leland K. Butler,Serial 0. 331,550, filed J anuarv 10, 1929, now Patent No. 1,787,138,issued December as, 1930.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is an end elevation of apparatus which may be employed to applythe reinforcing strip to the vamp;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a blucher vamp showing the reinforcing stripapplied to the th roat thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view similarto Fig. 2 of a bal vamp, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of shoe up rs, before lasting,showing the same rein orced in accordance with the present invention. r

Referring to the accompanying drawings and first to Figs. 1 and 2thereof, it is to be understood that the present invention involves theapplication of a transverse reinforcing strip 1 to the throat portion ofa. vam 2, this reinforcing strip preferably being isposed adjoining theedge of the throat portion as shown and extending substantiallytransversely thereof. Such a reinforcing strip may conveniently beformed of a sec- 1 tape may be fed into engagement with a Such a tapemay preferably be applied under tension to the vamp so that the sameeven before lasting tends tohave a normally concave curvature upon itsinner face, i. e. the face to'which the reinforcing strip is applied. Topermit this desirable result the with the throat of the vamp. In orderto effeet the tensioned application of the reinforcing strip the upperroll 6 which engages the vamp preferably may be formed of rubber and mayrotate at a slightly higher peripheral speed than the lower roll 5, forexample substantially 5% higher speed has been found commerciallysatisfactory for this-purpose. It is thus evident that the stri p l" isprogressively applied under tension to the vamp 2 so that the reinforcedvamp as viewed in section may have a normal curvature substantially asshown in Fig. 4:, thus tending to conform to the shape of the last.

As shown in Fig. 4, a reinforcing strip 1 may be applied in thesame'manner tothe throat portion of a bal vam 2 rather than the bluchervamp shown in ig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows the manner in which the stitches 12 that secure the topportions 10 of a blucher shoe to the vamp engage the reinforcing strip1, the stitches 12 curving upwardly from the bottom or edge portion ofthe vamp toward the throat and having end portions extending through theends of the reinforcing tape. The stitching 13 that secures the tongue11 to the throat also has end portions 14: passing through thereinforcing strip. Thus an unusually strong and effective reinforcementis provided which permits the vamp readily to conform to the last andsturdily opposes splitting.

Fig. 6 shows an arrangement of the continuous stitching 14 which securesthe top portions 20 and tongue portion 21 of a bal shoe to the vamp,this stitching 14 adjoining the throat extending through the reinforcingstrip 1*, as shown in Fig. 6.

From the foregoing it is evident that this invention affords a shoeupper having the throat portion of the vamp effectively reinforced dueto the firm adhesive engagement of the reinforcing strip with the vampas well as the engagement of the reinforcing strip with the stitchingthat secures the top portions and tongue in place. Furthermore, thepreferred manner of applying the reinforced strip aids in the propershaping of the shoe upon the last and in the permanent maintenance of aproper shape. The tensioned application of the strip to the throat ofthe vamp is particularly effective when the vamp itself is formed ofrelativel yieldable material, such as leather, so that the stripreceives the major portions of the strains tending to split this part ofthe shoe during lasting or in subsequent use.

I claim 1. Method of reinforcing a shoe vamp, comprising progressivelyfee ing the vamp and an adhesivelycoated reinforcing strip into adhesiveengagement by a pair of presser rolls engaging and feeding the vamp andstrip respectively, while rotating the roll engagin the vamp at a higherperipheral speed than t at of the other roll, thereby imparting aconcave transverse curvature to the vamp face to which the strip isapplied.

2. A vamp having athroat portion, and a tensioned transverse reinforcingstrip secured thereto for imparting a normal curvature to the reinforcedvamp.

3. A vam having a throat portion and a tensioned reinforcing stripextending transversely of said throat portion and adhesivelysecured-thereto for causing the face of the reinforced vamp to which thestrip is secured to have a normal transverselywoncave curvature, wherebystrains cast upon the throat are chiefly imposed upon'the reinforcingstrip.

4. A shoe upper comprising a vamp having a throat portion, a tensionedtransverse reinforcing strip applied to said throat portion to impart anormal curvature to the reinforced vamp, a top portion, and stitchinsecuring the top portion to the vamp an extending through thereinforcing strip.

5. A shoe upper comprising a vamp having a throat portion, a tensionedreinforcmg strip extending transversely of said throat portion andadhesively secured thereto for causing the face of the reinforced vampto which the strip is secured to have a normal transverselyconcavecurvature, a top portion, and stitc ing securing the top ortion to thevamp and extending through t e reinforcing strlp.

6. A shoe upper comprising a vamp having a throat portion, a tensionedtransverse reinforcing strip secured to said throat por tion to impart anormal curvature to the reinforced vamp, a tongue, and stitchingsecuring the tongue to the vamp said st1tchin extending through thereinforcing strip.

A shoe upper comprising a vamp having a throat portion, a tenslonedreinforcing strip extending transversely of said throat portion andadhesively secured thereto, for causing the face of the reinforced vampto which the strip is secured to have a normal transverselyconcavecurvature, a tongue, and stitching securing the tongue to the vamp, saidstitching extending through the reinforcing strip.

8. A shoe upper comprising a vamp having a throat portion, a tensionedtransverse reinforcing strip adhesively secured to said throat portionto impart a normal curvature to the reinforced vamp, a top portion, atongue porthe tion, and stitching securing said portions to the vamp andextending through the reinforcing strip.

9. A shoe upper comprising a vamp having a throat portion, said vampbeing formed of relatively yieldable leather and a tensioned reinforcingstrip of relatively unyielding material extending transversely of thethroat portion and adhesively secured thereto, whereby strains imposedupon the throat portion are chiefly opposed by the reinforcing strip.

Signed by me at Hudson, Massachusetts, this 8th day of May, 1930. WALTERF. PACKARD.

